Barriss Offee (Jedi Padawan) - TVC - Basic (VC51)

The Vintage Collection Barriss Offee really succeeds, and then it sort of fails. Maybe we shouldn’t have set the tone for this review in this manner, but while we think Hasbro did a fantastic job on the sculpt, some of the finishing touches just detract from what should be an otherwise stellar figure. We finally get our first super-articulated (and non-action posed) Barriss Offee action figure. As a female Jedi with little to no role in the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, it’s a minor surprise that twice now she’s been some of the first offered (originally and as updated figures) in the basic figure lines. (She was even one of the first made for the 2005 ROTS 12” figure line.) Hasbro has mastered her features and her proportions wonderfully and their use of soft-goods is expertly done as well. But this mixed media of this figure is slightly confusing and we wonder why Hasbro approached her in the way that they did. As much as they tried, the soft-goods purple skirt doesn’t exactly match the color of her upper portions. And then Hasbro decided to go with a plastic molder cape which looks fantastic, but confuses things. And we’re not even sure why it’s confusing. That’s how confusing it is. It is a shame however that Hasbro abandoned the original soft-goods outer robe that utilized a plush fabric. It was shown on display at Toy Fair, but Hasbro instead chose the molded plastic version in its place.

Barriss Offee has a great likeness, but the “diamonds” on her face are uneven in their placement on the first batch of figures introduced in 2011. When the figure reshipped in 2012, Hasbro paid extra careful attention to this detail and significantly cleaned them up. You can see a comparison shot in our photo gallery now. Hasbro also introduced a slightly new technology with the Barriss Offee action figure. She comes with a plastic molded hood which can only be removed by taking off her head along with it. We’ve never encountered a feature (we don’t think at least) like this on a basic figure before. This allows for a snugger fit and we like the results. Too often, many action figures have loose fitting or wobbly accessories; but this isn’t the case here at all. If you choose to pose Barriss Offee without her hood, you’ll notice that she has quite a long neck, the only drawback with this new feature. Also, the neck is at a strange angle (it leans downward) that looks bizarre from side view, but really doesn’t inhibit the aesthetics of her form. As a result, she doesn’t look entirely odd without her hood, but you may notice it more than your other action features (if that makes sense). But if you can get past these minor distractions, she really does have a nice form with delicate arms and a phenomenally array of articulation. We’re definitely impressed with her range of motion. The “heart” detail on her belt looks great as well and nicely contrasts against her dark Jedi outfit.

But where Barriss Offee fails the most is in her legs. And it’s frustrating because her legs should be formed better than they have been. One leg is shorter than the other and you can only remedy this by having her posed with one foot in front of the other. No matter how much you play with her ankle and knee joints, she will remain unbalanced until you change the degree of plane her legs stand. This is absolutely annoying and figures in The Vintage Collection need to be free of issues like this, especially since they command such a high premium in this day and age. If you pull up her skirt a little bit to witness the disparity in the length of her legs, you’ll notice the obvious difference. But despite the different length in her legs, it is possible to pose her in normal ways as evidenced by our photo gallery. Also, the saving grace is the outer plastic robe helps give her that much needed extra balance. We are thrilled to get such a wonderful update to this obscure Jedi Padawan, but we wish that Hasbro would have just ensured everything was completely in place before giving her the green light. Oh, Hasbro also updated her lightsaber in the 2012 assortments. Originally shipping with an almost clear lightsaber blade, it has now been given some light blue opacity and looks much better that the 2011 version. Barriss Offee (Jedi Padawan) is still a good action figure and we're quite fond of it. We just get crankier in our old age and expect only the best. She may not be the best Hasbro could have done, but she is pretty darn close.